What is a US Passport Acceptance Agent?

Appointments with a passport acceptance agent are required for the following passport applications:

new and first time passports

lost or stolen passports

child or minor passports

and for applicants who are not eligible to renew their passports

Please note, an appointment is not needed for passport renewals or second valid passports.

Only US citizens are eligible to obtain a US passport. It is important the government establishes that an individual applying for a US passport is in fact a US citizen. The government must also make sure that the individual applying for a passport is being forthright about their personal information and identity. 

When you have an appointment with a Passport Acceptance Agent, you will appear in person to prove your identity. The Agent will look at you, review identification that you provide, and then watch you sign your passport application.

The passport acceptance agent is there to make sure you are who you say you are. They will then sign off on your paperwork, which tells the US Passport Agency that you were able to prove your identity, and that you personally signed your application in front of the acceptance agent. This measure protects your identity, and ensures passports are not issued maliciously.

To get started, go to the Passport Acceptance Agent Search Page and enter your zip code. This website will search for passport acceptance agents near you and will provide you with their contact information, hours of operation, and whether appointments are required for that facility. 

Visit this link:  https://iafdb.travel.state.gov

Most passport acceptance agents require that you make an appointment.  In some states, but not most, it is difficult getting an appointment with an acceptance agent.  For this reason, we suggest you check the availability for an appointment in your area before you place an order. 

One  way to make an appointment is by visiting www.usps.com/scheduler.  Or, you may call the acceptance agent location to confirm appointment availability.

If you are using Swift Passport and Visa Services to obtain your passport, you will need to go to a passport acceptance agent before sending Swift your application.

After the passport acceptance agent signs off on your paperwork, they will then seal your application materials in an official envelope. The only entity that can open your sealed envelope is the US Passport Agency.

Keeping your envelope sealed is critical. It is imperative we receive this sealed envelope no later than the next business day, as the Passport Agency must receive the envelope within 5 business days of your acceptance agent appointment.

What many people do not know is that you cannot renew child passports.  Instead, you must apply for a new passport every time your child’s passport expires.  There is no way around this rule.  Each time, you will start the child passport application process from the beginning.

Part of the child passport process is having both parents and the child appear in person in front of a passport acceptance agent.  The acceptance agent establishes who the parents are by looking at the child’s birth certificate. They then establish that the parent, or parents, on the birth certificate are present with  the child.  The passport acceptance agent also ensures that both parents consent to the child getting a passport. After these steps are complete, both parents must prove their identity and sign the child’s passport application.

Without this process, one parent would be able to leave the country with a child against the other parent’s will.  Think of this as a preventative measure that serves both you, as a parent, and your child. 

When you are applying for a child passport, the general rule is that both parents must appear in-person in front of a passport acceptance agent, along with their child.  However, in special cases, there are exceptions.  In this video, we will explain what those exceptions are.

The first exception is if only one parent is listed on the child’s birth certificate, then only that parent needs to consent to the child getting a passport, meaning only that parent will need to appear at the passport acceptance agent appointment.

The second exception is when one parent is able to prove that they have sole custody of the child by supplying an original court order, then only that parent needs to consent to the child getting a passport.

If one parent is unable to appear in front of the passport acceptance agent with the other parent and child, then the non-appearing parent can sign and notarize a DS-3053 form. The appearing parent can bring this notarized form in place of the non-appearing parent physically being present at the appointment with the passport acceptance agent.

If there is a really good reason one parent cannot appear in front of the acceptance agent, the appearing parent can detail this reason on the DS-3053 form. If the passport acceptance agent and the passport agency deem the reason acceptable, they may issue your child a passport. However, this must be a really special circumstance to get approval.

Finally, if one parent is unable to appear, and there is absolutely no contact with the non-appearing parent, the parent applying for the child passport may complete a DS-5525 form.

Examples of reasons to complete a DS 5525 form include: one parent being incarcerated, one parent being abroad in the military, one parent being unable to be contacted or found to get permission, or having an original court order that grants sole custody of the minor.

Even if it is a really valid reason, remember, it is the passport agency’s job to make sure that your child is protected, and they will not issue a passport without both pare

A critical part of the passport application process is shipping your sealed envelope to Swift. 

Time is of the essence!  Swift only has five working days of the application being executed at the acceptance agent to finish processing your passport. 

Swift cannot open your sealed envelope to review included materials. This is why it is required to send in a photocopy of all items included in your sealed envelope so we can review your documents and make sure everything is in order. Not including photo copies will delay service.

Swift highly recommends using a trackable method to send us your sealed envelope. FedEx and UPS tend to be the most reliable carriers for this purpose.

Ship your sealed envelope to Swift at 1 E Erie Street, Suite 525, Chicago, Illinois, 60611.